Cheerleader Who Knelt During National Anthem, Wins $145,000 in Settlement with University
Two years ago, Tommia Dean sued the university arguing that state and university officials conspired together to prevent cheerleaders from protesting at future games. In a settlement reached this fall, the Georgia Department of Administrative Services agreed to pay her $135,000.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk Cleared of Defamation In Suit Brought By British Cave Explorer
On December 6th, a jury in Los Angeles found that Tesla and Space X CEO Elon Musk had not defamed a British cave explorer when Musk called him a “pedo guy” on Twitter. Vernon Unsworth sued Musk in July 2018 after the two publicly disagreed about the rescue attempts for a soccer team who was trapped in a cave system in Thailand.
The suit, filed on behalf of two documentary film organizations, argues that the registration requirement violates the First Amendment, is too broad in scope, and has not been proven to be necessary to national security interests.
State Senator Sued for Allegedly Blocking a Constituent from Public Facebook Page
According to the lawsuit, Nelson blocked Church after he questioned the accuracy of one of the senator’s online posts. After a tense back and forth, Church claims that Nelson deleted his comments and told him to either “mind his manners or go someplace else to post [his] propaganda.”
Monroe County’s Police Chief Says His Officers Will Not Enforce New “Annoyance” Law
On December 4th, Monroe County Sheriff Todd Baxter condemned the county’s new “annoyance” law, calling it a “solution to a problem that doesn’t exist.” One month earlier, the Monroe County legislature passed a measure that would allow police officers to arrest anyone that “annoys, alarms, or threatens the personal safety of an officer.”
Devin Nunes Files $435 Million Defamation Lawsuit Against CNN
The California representative has filed three separate defamation lawsuits this year. In his third, Nunes claims that CNN published a “demonstrably false hit piece” about an alleged trip the congressman took to Austria to meet with an ex-Ukranian official.
Federal Judge Says Iowa Can’t Enforce Its Newest Ag-Gag Law
The newest law is the state’s second attempt to stop journalists and activists from going undercover to report on meat processing plants, livestock facilities, and puppy mills. An older version of the bill was struck down as unconstitutional in January.
Snowden Responds to DOJ Lawsuit, Argues Government Selectively Enforces Prepublication Review Rules
“There is a strong likelihood that the government would have subjected Mr. Snowden specifically to such discriminatory treatment,” Snowden’s lawyers wrote. “A whistleblower the government considers to be a traitor would have been seeking permission from the very agencies on which he blew the whistle to speak about his views on surveillance."